By Steve Lansdale
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The No. 2 Texas women’s golf team fired a three-round 13-over-par 877 (287-297-293) to win the Big 12 Conference Championship at the Golf Club of Oklahoma in Broken Arrow, Okla.
The Longhorns beat runner-up Baylor by 37 strokes, the largest margin in the history of the conference’s postseason tournament. No. 18 Oklahoma was third with a 52-over-par 916.
A team can’t run away from the field without strong performances from individual players, and that is exactly what UT got, as Longhorns claimed[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] the top four individual finishes in the event. Sophomore Agathe Laisne shot a two-over three-round score of 218 (69-74-75), sophomore Kaitlyn Papp and freshman Sara Kouskova tied for second at five-over-par 221 and junior Emilee Hoffman came in fourth, with a seven-over-par 223. Baylor’s Diane Baillieux carded an eight-over-par 224 to claim the only spot in the top five among players at other Big 12 schools.
It is the first time any program in Big 12 history has had players claim the top four individual spots. Laisne, Papp, Kouskova and Hoffman each earned spots on the Big 12 All-Tournament Team.
“It was a fantastic week,” Texas head coach Ryan Murphy said. “I am thrilled for Agathe to win this golf tournament — her first collegiate win. To finish 1-2-3-4 in the individual rankings was pretty sweet. We obviously have a good team and these tough conditions suited us this week. When the wind came, we handled it really well. That’s really what separated us.”
The victory was UT’s third in as many years at the conference’s championship event; the last team to win three straight Big 12 Championships was Oklahoma State, in 2001-03. The Longhorns’ 37-stroke victory crushed the previous standard for the largest margin of victory, which was set in 2008 when Oklahoma State won the event by 27 strokes.
Laisne’s first career victory made her the third Texas player to win the Big 12 individual title, joining Heather Bowie (1997) and Madison Pressel (2011). She led all players in the tournament with 12 birdies and with a scoring average on par-four holes of 4.00.
“This means a lot,” Laisne said. “I didn’t play good my freshman year. It was kind of a struggle to come from Paris, France, and have to adapt to the United States. I saw my teammates were really good and they were winning tournaments. I tried to relax more and tried to enjoy it more. We get along really good as a team and we are working well together. We are working hard and it’s paying off.”
The victory is UT’s fourth of the year, the most victories in a single season since 1992-93. The Longhorns now have 16 conference tournament championships: six in the Big 12, and 10 in the former Southwest Conference.
The Longhorns will head next to the NCAA Regionals May 6-8. The NCAA selection is at 4:30 p.m. (Central Time), Wednesday, April 24 on the Golf Channel.
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